Fever
by NikkiB1973
Summary: This story is set from the episode 'Blood Fever' onwards. It is my interpretation of how Tom and B'Elanna came together a bit earlier then in the original episodes. I really hope you enjoy! Set in AU.
1. Chapter 1

**Fever**

Disclaimer: all characters and copyright do not belong to me although I have enjoyed the journey!

_**A/N-I would just like to give a big THANK YOU to my AWESOME beta on this story SCIFIROMANCE who has given me so much helpful advice and encouragement! I couldn't have done it without her. Thanks honey! Nikki **_

**Chapter 1**

B'Elanna carried her tray of unappetising replicator rations toward the only spare table in the mess hall. She had blatantly refused to try Neelix's latest concoction; the smell alone was enough to make her feel sick. Looking around the other occupants of the room she could see quite a few disgusted faces, although Kes was eagerly spooning the green liquid into her mouth while she listened avidly to Tom Paris boasting about his latest away mission. A sliver of jealousy ran through B'Elanna as she observed them both, did Kes have to lean so close to Tom? The girl wasn't deaf and had perfectly good hearing. Her gaze then rested on Tom, why was he sitting so close to Kes?

Without realising she had even moved, B'Elanna changed direction and strode purposefully over to their table. She dumped her tray down and wedged her way between them, a smile of satisfaction crossing her face when they had to separate.

"Well you two looked like you were having an animated discussion. Care to share?" B'Elanna asked in the politest tone she could muster.

Kes gave her a benevolent smile which set B'Elanna's teeth on edge. Was their nothing that ever annoyed the girl? She was always so polite and understanding, even now when she had been really rude, squeezing herself in-between them.

"Tom was just filling me in on how his last mission went. His flying skills are incredible. "Kes replied, admiration clear in her voice.

B'Elanna snorted with laughter. She raised an eyebrow and turned to her other companion. "Bragging again are we Tom? Modesty still escapes you I see?"

Tom gazed at B'Elanna, a smirk playing about his lips. His ruse was working. As soon as he saw B'Elanna enter the mess hall he had shifted closer to Kes and began to focus solely on her. He knew that B'Elanna had a jealous streak, enhanced by her Klingon blood. She tried to hide it, but it was clear in her tone and the way she was acting now confirmed his suspicions. B'Elanna Torres was jealous because he was paying attention to another female. He sat back in a relaxed pose and just smirked at her.

"Well I am only stating fact, right Kes?"

Kes reached across B'Elanna and patted Tom's hand. "Definitely, Captain Janeway was so impressed and if your father could have seen it, he would have been too." She praised him.

B'Elanna shoved Kes' arm out of the way."Excuse me. I am trying to eat here." She said abruptly, annoyed that Kes was touching Tom's arm.

Tom laughed. "As you can see Kes, B'Elanna is not as impressed by my skills as you and our Captain."

"I am sure she is really Tom..." Kes said sweetly, trying to smooth things over between them unnecessarily.

"I can speak for myself, Kes. Tom has a big head and needs taking down a..."B'Elanna was stopped in her tirade by the voice of Ensign Vorik. They had all been so caught up in their conversation that no one had noticed his approach.

"May I join you?" The Vulcan asked smoothly.

This time it was Tom who seemed irritated as he glared at the Vulcan. "No, our table is full."

Kes looked alarmed at his rudeness. She got up from her seat and motioned for Vorik to sit down. "You can take my seat next to B'Elanna. I have to return to sickbay anyway." She gave them all another one of her kind smiles and left.

Now there was a new unwanted triangle sitting at the table. An uncomfortable silence reigned for a few moments as they all ate their respective meals. Ensign Vorik was eagerly slurping at the green soup and the noise he was making was beginning to annoy both Tom and B'Elanna. They exchanged a look of understanding.

"Ensign Vorik, would you very much mind eating the soup a bit more quietly. I have had a long shift and the noise is disturbing my peace. " B'Elanna gave the Vulcan what she thought was a sweet smile, but really looked like a snarl.

Tom tried to hide his amusement. He hid his laughter by pretending to cough. B'Elanna knew exactly what he was doing and she gave him a sharp slap on the back, making him cough even harder. Vorik looked at them both, a stoic expression on his face. He did not appear to be in the least offended by B'Elanna's words, Vulcans were good at hiding any sort of emotion to the point of coldness.

"I apologise if the noise of my eating disturbed your peace Lieutenant Torres. It is logical that you would feel that way after such a long shift. I will now attempt to consume my soup in a more silent manner." He said stiffly.

B'Elanna tried not to roll her eyes at him and went back to eating her own food, ignoring both of her male companions.

XXXXXX

The engineering bay was B'Elanna's castle, she loved it here. Everything was where it should be, orderly and in place. She strolled along, padd in hand, checking that each of her colleagues was carrying out the proper checks. She smiled, everything was running smoothly, just the way she liked it. Catching a brief glimpse of her reflection in one of the mirrored consoles, B'Elanna fluffed her hair and winked at her reflection playfully while she thought no one was looking. Her hair was thick and luxurious and she always made sure it was well groomed.

Suddenly a reflection of Tom Paris appearing behind her made her jump. She grimaced as she saw the smug smile crossing his face.

"You look as lovely as ever B'Elanna, don't let me interrupt you admiring yourself." he teased her.

"I was doing nothing of the sort. What are you doing down here Tom. Has everyone got tired of your bragging and sent you down here as punishment?" She muttered in embarrassment.

Tom walked beside her as she began to patrol the engineering bay again, her eyes fixed firmly on her padd so that she would not have to look at him. They strolled slowly along, neither of them speaking as they both tried to think of something to break the tension that had suddenly built up between them.

Eventually Tom cleared his throat and gently took hold of B'Elanna's arm to stop her moving. Her head shot up in surprise, her brown hair framing her face. They both stared at each other for a few seconds before Tom finally broke the silence.

"I came down here for a reason, B'Elanna. I really like you; I know that you keep saying that you don't feel attracted to me in that way but if you would just come on a date with me I think that..."

"Lieutenant Torres, may I speak with you."Ensign Vorik interjected before Tom could finish.

"Can't you see that we are in the middle of a conversation here?" Tom shot him a sour look.

B'Elanna felt rather flustered, she hated losing her cool. Tom had taken her completely by surprise with his declaration and a part of her was glad that Vorik had interrupted them. It gave her time to think things over. She placed a hand on Tom's arm and gave him a sympathetic smile. "I promise we will talk later Tom, maybe after my shift has ended." She said softly, very unlike her usual tone.

Tom gazed at her for a moment before conceding defeat. He could wait a few more hours to talk things through with her. At least she was willing to hear what he had to say. "Okay, I will be waiting."

B'Elanna nodded at him and she watched as he gave Ensign Vorik another irritated glance before leaving the engineering bay. The Vulcan seemed unperturbed by Tom's reaction to him as he was staring intently at B'Elanna. She frowned as she wondered why he was looking at her in that way.

"Well Ensign, what is it?" She asked abruptly.

"There is something I need to speak to you about B'Elanna..." he began.

"Lieutenant Torres, remember my rank Ensign." She reprimanded him.

"Once again I apologise, but once we are mated I think we would be on enough equal footing for me to address you by your first name." Vorik replied, his tone expressionless.

B'Elanna stared at him, completely stunned. Did he really just say when they were mated? Was the Vulcan delusional? "What are you talking about Ensign?"

"I am not coming across very well Lieutenant Torres, for that I once again must say that I am sorry. I would like to propose the Vulcan ritual of _kunat so'lik._ I have to let you know that I have an intended mate back on my home world, but as we are not likely to return there for a very long time I have chosen you to become my mate. You possess many attributes that I find attractive in a female and I assume that you would have the same requirements that I possess when you are looking for a mate. I know that this must come as a complete surprise to you, but I would very much like to proceed with the courtship immediately." Vorik began to speak faster as he watched B'Elanna's horrified expression. For the first time in his life, the young Vulcan felt out of control of his emotions.

"Ensign what you are suggesting is ludicrous. I have no attraction to you whatsoever. I refuse your proposal, if that is what it is supposed to be. Now I have to work." B'Elanna began to turn away from Vorik, but she gasped as he caught hold of her arm and spun her back to face him.

"I must protest, " Vorik said, his breathing quickening as his unruly emotions got the better of him. "I have chosen you to be my mate and you will succumb."

"GET OFF OF ME," B'Elanna yelled as his grip on her arm became painful. She began to pull away from him, but Vorik was not letting go. They began to wrestle against each other, before Vorik managed to get a hold on her face.

"You will succumb," he said again as he held on tightly, forcing B'Elanna to look into his maddened eyes.

"NO," she shouted before she clenched her fist and punched him the face.

XXXXXX

The doctor examined B'Elanna thoroughly before declaring her fit to leave sickbay. Before she left she stomped over to Ensign Vorik, who was being looked over by Kes. "Do not ever come near me again, or I might do more than dislocate your jaw." She seethed.

Vorik could not reply as his jaw was still displaced. Kes pursed her lips and shook her head at B'Elanna. "Please B'Elanna, I am sure there is a perfectly reasonable explanation for what Ensign Vorik did."

"Oh shut up Kes," B'Elanna shot back at her, anger running through her veins. She turned and left sickbay before she said anything more she might regret.

Tom had heard about the encounter between the Vulcan and B'Elanna, at the first opportunity he had managed to excuse himself from duty and he rushed to sickbay to check on her. He found her, just as she was leaving. Her head was bowed, her hair hiding her face.

"B'Elanna, are you alright?" he asked her gently.

"I don't know." B'Elanna mumbled. She was not used to feeling weak, but Tom's kind tone had softened her defences. She felt him place his arm gently around her shoulder.

"Come on; let me take you to get something hot to drink. I think you have been through quite an ordeal, you need a rest."He suggested.

B'Elanna gave him a grateful smile; she let him leave his arm around her as he led her back toward the mess hall. For once she admitted to herself it was nice to have someone else to lean on.

_**A/N-Chapter 2 coming soon, I hope you enjoyed!**_


	2. Chapter 2

**Fever**

Disclaimer: all characters and copyright belong to their respective owners.

_**A/N-Sorry for the delay on this story. Here is the next chapter. I hope you enjoy...**_

**Chapter 2**

B'Elanna sat in the mess hall opposite Tom sipping on a cup of warm coffee. It was not usually her drink of choice but it was the first thing that came to mind as she distractedly ordered the drink from the replicator. Tom had ordered one for himself as he guided her carefully toward a free table and helped her to sit. If she hadn't been feeling so ruffled by the incident with Vorik, she probably would have made some kind of biting comment about his unusual attempt at gallantry. However she was not feeling like herself at all. She stared at the brown liquid as if looking for some rational explanation for what had occurred between her and the usually reserved Vulcan.

"B'Elanna," Tom's quiet tones interrupted her reverie. "Do you want to talk about what happened?"

She raised her head, her luxurious brown hair falling in waves around her face. Tom was concerned to see how pale she was; her pupils looked dilated. "I can't, not right now Tom. I need to process it myself," she replied.

Tom reached across the table and placed his hand over hers. She was gripping the mug of coffee so tightly that she was in danger of breaking it. His touch made her uncurl her fingers and she watched in fascination as they involuntarily found their way into his hand. "I am not sure what to..."

She was interrupted from speaking by the Captain's smoky voice crackling through the comm-system. "All senior officers to my ready room." She barked.

B'Elanna snatched her hand back from Tom's and stood up swiftly, only to stagger back as dizziness overtook her. Tom hurriedly rose and placed his arm about her waist to steady her. "B'Elanna, you're clearly not well. Let me take you back to sickbay so that the doc can examine you." He pleaded. "I will make your excuses to the Captain."

B'Elanna shrugged off his hold; embarrassed to show weakness in front of another. "I'm fine," she said dismissively. "The captain obviously wants to talk about the gallicite deposits we have found on that uninhabited planet. There are tunnels down there full of the stuff. It can be used to refit Voyagers warp coils. Do you realise what a substantial find that is?" Her eyes became alight with excitement at the very thought.

Tom stepped back, half amused and half irritated at her refusal to seek medical assistance. True to her feisty and independent nature she refused to show an inkling of weakness. Well the only thing he could do was stay close and make sure she didn't push herself over the edge. The Captain's voice boomed out again, clearly irritated that her officers were taking longer than necessary to respond.

"Coming Captain," B'Elanna barked as she swiftly turned on her heel and marched toward the ready room, her back ramrod straight.

Tom chuckled to himself as he followed her, matching her stride for stride. He saw her shoot him a sideways glance, a small smile playing about her full lips. He winked at her just as they reached the tall doors of the Captains quarter's. B'Elanna made a noise of irritation as she swept through the doors announcing her arrival to the Captain and the others in a tone best left to the crew in engineering.

Janeway glared at her chief engineer, she did not like being addressed in such a sharp manner. "We can see that you're here B'Elanna, although a bit delayed I see," she pursed her lips as Tom strolled in cheerfully behind B'Elanna and took the seat next to her.

"Sorry Captain," B'Elanna apologised; although nothing in her manner showed as much. She stared around the room, her expression only softening when she was met with Chakotay's concerned gaze.

"Are you okay? I heard about Vorik," he told her.

"I am fine," B'Elanna said again. She shook herself mentally. She had faced more dire and life threatening situations than her clash with the Vulcan. So why was she feeling so unsettled? Trying to regain her sense of composure and refusing to discuss the matter any further; even with Chakotay, she turned all her attention onto the Captain as she laid out her ideas for the task ahead to retrieve the gallicite.

XXXXXX

"I would like you to head up the away team B'Elanna," Janeway stated as she strolled around the room, unable to sit. Too many black coffees full of caffeine had made her fidgety.

"Of course," B'Elanna agreed. As if she would have let anyone else take charge anyway? She would have fought the Captain if she had even dared suggest such an idea.

"Good. I would like you to take Neelix with you. He has mining experience," she said quickly before B'Elanna could protest.

The Talaxian beamed with delight as he glanced over at B'Elanna. "This should be fun," he declared rubbing his hands together excitedly.

B'Elanna closed her eyes briefly, trying to shut out Neelix's enthusiasm. She liked him but sometimes his over exuberant nature could be tiring. Still it was better than having Tom forced on her. If he came she knew that he would be glued to her side, making sure she was not overtaxing herself.

"Chakotay has expressed a desire to go," Janeway continued," and Tom Paris surprisingly. I didn't think this mission would be quite you're thing?" She said bitingly as she turned her sharp gaze on Tom.

He shrugged nonchalantly."I just fancy a change of air. I haven't been off Voyager for a while. New surroundings should be fun, like Neelix just said." He quipped.

"That's the spirit," Neelix's smile grew wider, pushing his round cheeks up further.

"This is a serious mission, Lieutenant Paris," Janeway interjected sarcastically. "I would hardly call crawling through dark tunnels fun."

"Oh that depends on the company," he replied cheerfully, glancing meaningfully at B'Elanna.

B'Elanna refused to engage in his mild flirting. She stood up quickly, holding onto the table in front of her to keep steady. "Is that all, Captain? I would like to prepare the equipment."

Janeway regarded her coolly. "Yes, take Paris with you. If possible I would like you to be ready to leave in the next two hours."

B'Elanna just nodded. She was feeling increasingly unwell. She felt Tom's hand on the small of her back as he gently guided her toward the doors. For once she did not utter a word of protest.

XXXXXX

As they passed sickbay the Doctor emerged with a sheepish looking Vorik. B'Elanna glared over at the Vulcan who dropped his eyes to the floor and marched away toward his quarters. The Doctor tutted at B'Elanna's reaction.

"Come now Lieutenant, the poor Ensign is embarrassed by his actions. I have advised him to spend some time in meditation. He assures me he is mortified by what happened between you and is very sorry that he can no longer accompany you on the away mission." The EMH stated pompously.

"Maybe it was the broken jaw that changed his mind," B'Elanna growled in response to the Doctors pontificating.

The Doctor huffed at her tone. "There are some things that you are not aware of Lieutenant. I think you should be less judgemental."

"What's wrong with him then?" She snapped.

"You know I am bound by strict laws of patient confidentiality," he said stiffly.

B'Elanna was getting increasingly irate, she began to march toward the startled hologram when Tom yanked her back. "Come on B'Elanna, we have a mission to prepare for. See you later, Doc." He waved at the EMH as he dragged a protesting B'Elanna after him and around the corner.

"What do you think you're doing?" She yelled in his face as she pulled her arm out of his hold.

"Stopping you from making a fool of yourself," He said irritably. "Will you just calm down?"

Being told to calm down fuelled B'Elanna's anger further. "Just stay out of my business," she snapped. "I will get the equipment ready by myself. I will see you in the transporter room later."

Tom watched her go helplessly. It was not worth following her; when she was in that mood it was best to give her space. He ran a hand though his hair and let out a resigned sigh. He just hoped she was feeling more like herself when they reached the planet's surface.

XXXXXX

Tom piled his gear next to him as he waited for B'Elanna to appear. Neelix was already there talking animatedly to Chakotay who was no longer able to accompany them. An issue had arisen which meant he had to stay aboard.

"Don't you worry Commander. I will make sure to guide these two through the tunnels. I have done this type of thing numerous times before." Neelix declared cheerfully.

Chakotay gave him a small smile. "I'm sure I will be leaving Tom and B'Elanna in capable hands. Where is she anyway? It's not like her to be late." He said glancing toward the entrance to the transporter room.

Tom too looked that way. Chakotay was right; B'Elanna was never late for anything. He was just about to say he would go and hurry her along when she finally appeared. She dumped her gear on the floor and to everyone's shock she smiled at them all cheerfully.

"Glad you're all on time. I was delayed by some last minute checks." She informed them.

"Feeling better?" Tom asked, eyebrows raised.

B'Elanna laughed throatily. "Much better flyboy," she teased.

Chakotay and Tom exchanged a stunned look. What was with her sudden change in attitude? She had gone from angry to cheerful in the space of two hours. Tom studied her closely. "Are you sure you're okay to go ahead?" He checked one last time.

B'Elanna just winked at him. "Worried that I might show you up? Come on the sooner we go the sooner we can get back for that dinner date you promised me."

Tom's mouth dropped open at this bold statement. "So you're finally going to come out with me?" He questioned disbelievingly.

B'Elanna just rolled her eyes as Chakotay began to chuckle behind them. She gathered up her gear and marched toward the transporter, Tom and Neelix following closely behind. They arrayed themselves side by side on the transporter pad, ready to be beamed down to the tunnels on the planets surface.

"Ready?" Chakotay asked, taking position behind the bay. He gave them the thumbs up as he punched in the relevant co-ordinates and watched as they disappeared right before his eyes.

XXXXXX

For a moment there was no light as the three of them materialized in the dank tunnels. Neelix quickly knelt down and rummaged in his bag, producing a torch like device and switching it on. The bright beam of light flooded the tunnels and B'Elanna and Tom blinked rapidly until their eyes became accustomed to the change. They walked slowly in a circle; exploring the immediate area, taking in the greyness of the tunnel walls and the roots of unfamiliar fauna winding around the rocks.

Tom pulled out his tricorder and studied it carefully as he walked forward cautiously, his eyes flicking from side to side as he scanned the way forward. B'Elanna had no such worry; she strode confidently forward, her bag flung over her back, the grey biosuit she was wearing emphasising her lithe figure. Tom found himself becoming distracted as he followed after her. Neelix kept stopping to check the thick roots, he was intrigued by what sort of plant life they belonged to and whether they would be edible. The crew were putting in increasing complaints about his leola root specials. He needed to dazzle them with something new. He reached out and snapped off a few leaves, stuffing them in his bag. He would get the Doctor to test them upon his return to see if they would be of any use.

They continued forward, the darkness increasing as they edged toward a bend in the tunnel. A cool rush of air washed over them and they glanced at each other nervously. "Must be a large cavern ahead," Tom surmised.

B'Elanna just nodded and took the lead again. She was feeling hot and her skin was flushed. She was dying to rip the tight bio-suit off of her body, but with the two males with her it would hardly be appropriate. Tom and Neelix did not seem to be experiencing any discomfort. She increased her strides until she came into contact with what appeared to be a dead end. Neelix flashed his light around until they discovered a small crawl space in one corner.

B'Elanna immediately dropped down on all fours and began to crawl through. Tom placed a hand on her shoulder and pulled her back. "What are you doing?" She demanded.

Tom just gave her one of his cheeky smiles. "My turn to take the lead I think." He ignored her grouching and laid flat on his stomach and pulled his body through the small space. More cold air hit him as he emerged into a wide cavern, water dripping down the walls. There was a green moss like substance coating the rock and, as Neelix followed him through with the light, he could clearly see a deep hole in the cave's floor. Tom stepped forward until he was at the lip of the deep tunnel and he stared down into blackness and whistled with surprise at the depth.

B'Elanna stepped to his side as she too peered into the never ending darkness. "We need to go down there. That is where the tricorder is indicating the gallicite deposits are richest."

Without further ado, she dropped her bag to the floor and unwound the thick rope they had brought with them. Neelix exchanged an amused glance with Tom. "Doesn't waste time does she?" He joked.

Tom chuckled. "That's B'Elanna for you." He replied, giving a quick glance at her toned body as she gave in to the heat and pulled the top half of her bio-suit down.

"Ready?" She demanded as she glared at them. Her mood seemed to have switched again. She made as if to go first but Neelix stopped her.

"I'll go first this time. I am the more experienced crew member when it comes to mining," Neelix beamed at them all.

B'Elanna just scowled as she conceded defeat and let the Talaxian take the lead.

_**A/N-Thanks for reading.**_


End file.
